For over thirty years American women have favored disposable sanitary napkins which are worn outside of the body, and even more so lately, disposable tampons, which are worn inside the vaginal canal to absorb the flow of fluids during menstruation. Recently, due to a combination of environmental and health concerns, a growing minority of women have shown a preference for reusable, washable sanitary napkins.
The health problems associated with the use of disposable tampons in particular has ironically grown with the increasing technical effectiveness and absorbency of the latest products. Modern, super absorbent, disposable tampons are so absorbent and leak proof that users are often unaware that their tampon has become saturated and is ready for removal. As a result, some users do not replace these tampons frequently enough to avoid the explosive bacterial growth which is possible in the anaerobic environment within the vaginal canal. Toxins released by these bacteria can result in a shock syndrome in a small minority of women, leading to severe illness.
As a result of the above described health problem, and for those women who are at risk, the option of externally worn, disposable sanitary napkins has been revisited. Although these products have been available for sometime and have performed their functions adequately, environmental concerns regarding disposable products now occupy a higher level of public concern. Solid waste landfills in some metropolitan areas are filled to capacity and cannot accommodate the high volume of biologically contaminated waste products, such as, disposable diapers, sanitary napkins and tampons, generated by a modern metropolitan area.
Various businesses have developed washable, reusable, feminine hygiene products which avoid the environmental and health related problems discussed above. New Cycle Products, Sebastopol, Calif. manufactures a line of flannel and terry cloth pads which may be worn in the crotch area of women's undergarments. Some of these products are elongated, elliptical pads while others are square cotton pads having extra material in the center sections thereof. The square pads may be folded to increase the thickness and enhance absorbency for the pads when required. Unfortunately, these products suffer from many of inconveniences which caused women to adopt disposable products over non disposable napkins during the past 30 years. These problems are principally: a tendency for the pads to shift while being worn resulting in a loss of protection; external belts or other uncomfortable devices required to secure the washable pads in place; and, a high probability that during a heavy flow, the reusable pads will become saturated before they can be changed resulting in soiling of the undergarment.
One manufacturer, Modern Woman's Choice, Vancouver, Canada has addressed these problems with a design shown in FIG. 1. Modern Woman's Choice reusable, washable sanitary napkin is generally indicated at reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The napkin is manufactured from a single sheet of cotten fleece material which is folded in on itself, so as to form a pocket 12 accessible by way of longitudinal slot 14 for insertion of an extra liner pad (not shown) for heavy flow days. The entire napkin 10 is generally rectangular in shape having a length of approximately seven inches and a width of approximately three inches.
To prevent flow-through of fluid if the napkin becomes saturated, even with a filler pad in the pocket 12, a layer of fluid impervious cloth 16 is sewn to the lower most (outer most, when worn) layer 18. To secure the napkin 10 to a women's undergarments, a hook portion 20 of a hook and loop type closure system is sewn to the distal ends of the napkin to both the fluid impervious cloth 16 and the outer most flannel layer 18. The corresponding loop portions of the closure device are sewn to appropriate locations on the undergarment for proper positioning of the napkin.
The Modern Women's Choice sanitary napkin 10 described above suffers from three principle limitations. The first limitation results from the mechanical structure of the napkin which bifurcates the same by longitudinal slot 14, so as to create the pocket 12. It has been found that after repeated washings, the napkin 10 and hence the pocket begin to lose their shape making insertion of the filler pad (not shown) into the pocket 12 difficult and causing left and right flap portions 22, 24 to separate thereby creating a gap exactly in the area where the heaviest menstrual flow is expected. By sewing through the fluid impervious cloth at longitudional and lateral sews line 26 to secure the hook portion 20 to the napkin 10, the fluid impervious nature of the cloth 16 is seriously compromised allowing fluids to leak through. Finally, the cloth 16 is generally a coated nylon cloth having relatively sharp edges. The lateral edges are completely exposed to the inner thigh and groin area. Skin in this area is highly sensitive and after wearing the napkin 10 for a long period, chaffing can become a serious discomfort.
Therefore, a need exists for a reusable feminine hygiene system, which is absorbent, fluid impervious and comfortable to wear.